Airports: Security

Lord Eames: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current numerical strength of civilian search staff at airports serving London.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the numbers of civilian search staff required at airports serving London.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the basis for the recruitment of civilians to serve as search staff at airports serving London; and how that recruitment is arranged.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how training of civilians to serve as search officers at airports serving London is organised and assessed.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how supervision of civilian search staff at London airports is organised; by whom; and at what frequency.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many civilian search staff at London airports were dismissed in the past five years; and for what reasons.

Earl Attlee: Requirements in respect of the recruitment and training of aviation security staff, including supervisors are set out in European and domestic regulations and include requirements for appropriate pre-employment checks (including security vetting). The Department for Transport (DfT) aviation security inspectors monitor compliance with the EU and UK regulatory requirements. EU regulations are, in addition, monitored by EU inspectors.
	The regulations do not cover numbers, recruitment and disciplinary processes, specific requirements for supervision or terms and conditions for security staff. These are operational matters for individual airport operators to determine. The DfT therefore does not hold information on the numbers of security staff employed in the industry or the number of staff dismissed. This information is held only by the operators themselves.

Asylum Seekers

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government in what specific ways they intend to improve the quality of first decisions in all immigration and asylum cases; and over what timescale.

Baroness Browning: The UK Border Agency is committed to the continuous improvement of quality in both its immigration and asylum decisions. It has a rigorous system of quality sampling and reviews allowed appeals to identify why a decision has been overturned. It works closely with corporate partners and has embarked on a programme of modernising operational guidance. Quality is also subject to scrutiny through departmental audit, the quality assurance framework, the National Audit Office and the Chief Inspector. The Integrated Casework Programme due to be fully implemented by 2015 will introduce a degree of automation into decision making thereby reducing discretion and the scope for errors.

Aviation: Air Quality

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the United Kingdom Air Incidents Branch 2007 recommendation for bleed air monitoring for oil smoke or fumes with flight deck indication on all United Kingdom commercial aircraft will be required to be implemented.

Earl Attlee: I refer the noble Countess to the Written Statement I made on 10 May 2011 (Official Report, cols. 37-38 WS).
	The information available has been published in the Cranfield University report. The next step is for the research studies which the department has commissioned to be referred to the Committee on Toxicity. This will be done once the last study-swab test research-has been completed by the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Edinburgh.

Aviation: Air Quality

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the compositions of the triaryl phosphate additives used in the current fleets of commercial jet aircraft; which esterases, lipases, peptidases and other serine-active enzymes are inhibited by metabolites of triaryl phosphates; and which of these enzymes are important for neurological function and normal physiological health.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have collected data on the number of individuals damaged by cabin air exposures; and, if so, what were the categories of symptoms.

Earl Attlee: I refer the noble Countess to the Written Statement I made on 10 May 2011 (Official Report, cols. 37-38 WS).
	The information available has been published in the Cranfield University report. The next step is for the research studies which the department has commissioned to be referred to the Committee on Toxicity. This will be done once the last study-swab test research-has been completed by the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Edinburgh.

Aviation: Young People

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage United Kingdom aerospace firms to ask their staff to spend more time volunteering with young people interested in a career in aviation.

Baroness Wilcox: We are routinely in dialogue with UK aerospace companies, trade association and representative bodies about how to promote interest in aviation with young people. Officials also participate in business-led groups on skills matters, including the Aerospace Sector Skills Group, where the aerospace sector's future skills needs are considered and addressed, including the need to promote careers interests in aviation.
	Through this dialogue we are aware that many of these businesses and organisations are proactive in such activity including with staff working on a voluntary basis. We welcome and encourage such inter-action.
	At the manufacturing summit on 25 January, the Secretary of State asked UK manufacturers to open their doors for a day to students and teachers to get an insight into engineering and manufacturing careers. We are looking to roll out a See Inside Manufacturing programme across the whole manufacturing sector, including aerospace, in 2012.
	The department sponsors the Aerospace Schools Challenge, which is open to all schools and recognised youth organisations within the UK, and which inspires young people into considering aeronautical engineering as a career.
	ADS is also arranging a Futures Day at the Farnborough International Air Show in 2012, with a big programme of events involving thousands of young people, to get them excited about science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), and in particular to encourage them to become part of the aerospace, defence & security sectors.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the aggregated commitments made by lending banks under Project Merlin are disaggregated into commitments by each bank involved; and whether they will publish the figures and agreements with individual banks.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the withdrawal of a loan to a small and medium-sized enterprise borrower by one of the banks participating in the Project Merlin commitments and the substitution of an identical or similar loan by another Merlin bank would count as new lending under the method of calculating gross lending used in the Merlin process.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the replacement by a Project Merlin signatory bank of an overdraft to a small and medium-sized enterprise borrower by a one year committed line of credit would constitute new lending for the purposes of the calculation of achievement of commitments under Project Merlin, and whether this would be considered to constitute the provision of new credit to the economy to support recovery.

Lord Sassoon: On 9 February, the Chancellor announced a new commitment by the UK's biggest high street banks on lending expectations and capacity. As part of this commitment, the banks will make available appropriate capital and resources to support £190 billion of new credit to businesses in 2011, up from £179 billion in 2010. If demand exceeds this, the banks will lend more, including creating the balance sheet capacity necessary to do so. £76 billion of this lending capacity will be available to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is a 15 per cent increase on 2010 lending of £66 billion.
	The banks have entered into the commitment on an aggregate basis. The Bank of England will report the banks' performance against the commitment on a quarterly basis.
	Project Merlin targets gross committed lending. The Government inherited a position where businesses and households are over-indebted. The economy needs to rebalance and businesses and households need to delever. The economy, therefore, needs both a large volume of repayments and a substantial amount of gross new lending. While banks cannot control the rate at which businesses want to delever, they can focus on supplying the finance that UK businesses need to grow. It is therefore appropriate to target gross committed lending. As set out in the published agreement, this definition includes refinancing activities.

Care Quality Commission

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many complaints from whistleblowers were received by the Care Quality Commission in each month since its formation.

Earl Howe: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has provided the following information.
	The following table shows the number of whistleblowing concerns received each month since the CQC was established.
	
		
			 Month Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Total 
			 2009-2010 0 5 4 3 2 1 0 1 1 3 1 3 24 
			 2010-2011 0 1 2 4 4 10 38 32 22 24 24 31 192 
			 2011-2012 24 52 53  129 
		
	
	Note:
	The figures include only those records where an item is explicitly identified as a whistleblowing concern in the CQC's records.

Care Quality Commission

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the investigation into care home service provision by John Morel of the BBC in 1998 was considered and fully acted upon by the Care Quality Commission.

Earl Howe: Neither the department, nor the Care Quality Commission, are aware of, or have been able to find, any reference to such an investigation.

Care Services: Inspection

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many inspections of (a) elderly care facilities, (b) mental health facilities and (c) childcare facilities have been carried out by (1) the National Care Standards Commission, (2) the Commission for Social Care Inspection, and (3) the Care Quality Commission, in each year since 2002.

Earl Howe: There was a decline in the number of inspections from July 2010 whilst the Care Quality Commission (CQC) focused resources on implementing the new regulation system for health and adult social care providers.
	The number of CQC inspections it undertakes is now rising significantly.
	The CQC has provided the following information. The CQC has advised that it cannot confirm the accuracy of data produced by the National Care Standards Commission and is therefore unable to supply data prior to 2004.
	The following table shows the number of key inspections completed each year for services regulated under the Care Standards Act 2000.
	
		
			  Care homes for older people1 Care homes with mental health provision2 Children's services3 Independent healthcare services with mental health provision4 
			 2004-2005 23,190 32,665 4,767 - 
			 2005-2006 22,193 32,387 4,745 - 
			 2006-2007 11,329 16,392 3,329 - 
			 2007-2008 9,301 13,101 - 106 
			 2008-2009 6,962 10,083 - 135 
			 2009-2010 5,449 7,673 - 113 
			 April 2010- September 2010 783 992 - 30 
		
	
	Notes
	1 Care homes for older people are those homes which were inspected against the national minimum standards for care homes for older people.
	2 Care homes with mental health provision are those homes with at least one place for people with dementia, a mental disorder and/or learning disabilities.
	3 Regulation of children's services passed to Ofsted on 1 April 2007.
	4 Inspections of independent healthcare organisations were carried out by the Healthcare Commission.
	The following table shows the number of completed reviews for services regulated under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. The CQC began to inspect independent sector health and adult social care providers under the 2008 Act from October 2010.
	
		
			  Locations with provision for older people1 Locations/providers with mental health provision2 
			 October 2010-March 2011 628 718 
			 April 2011-June 20113 993 1,096 
		
	
	Notes:
	1 Locations with provision for older people cover services from all sectors which have indicated they can provide services to older people (service user band data).
	2 Locations/ providers with mental health includes those with the regulated activity 'Assessment or medical treatment for persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983' and/or service users bands 'dementia', 'learning disabilities', 'mental health', 'people detained under the Mental Health Act'.
	3 June figure up to 13 June 2011.

Care Services: Inspection

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many inspections of (a) elderly care facilities, (b) mental health facilities and (c) childcare facilities have been carried out by the Care Quality Commission in each month since its creation.

Earl Howe: There was a decline in the number of inspections from July 2010 whilst the Care Quality Commission (CQC) focused resources on implementing the new regulation system for health and adult social care providers. The number of CQC inspections it undertakes is now rising significantly.
	The CQC has provided the following information.
	The following table shows the number of inspections carried out by the CQC each month under the Care Standards Act 2000. The CQC began to inspect independent sector health and adult social care providers under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 from October 2010.
	
		
			 Month Care homes for older people1 Care homes with mental health provision2 
			 April 2009 589 807 
			 May 2009 599 803 
			 June 2009 629 923 
			 July 2009 616 930 
			 August 2009 461 641 
			 September 2009 492 705 
			 October 2009 376 536 
			 November 2009 422 599 
			 December 2009 437 642 
			 January 2010 428 591 
			 February 2010 131 175 
			 March 2010 269 321 
			 April 2010 362 492 
			 May 2010 234 281 
			 June 2010 168 194 
			 July 2010 12 13 
			 August 2010 6 11 
			 September 2010 1 1 
		
	
	Notes:
	1 Care homes for older people are those homes which were inspected against the national minimum standards for care homes for older people.
	2 Care homes with mental provision are those homes with at least one place for people with dementia, a mental disorder and/or learning disabilities.
	The CQC does not regulate children's social care services.
	The following table shows the number of completed reviews for services regulated under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the 2008 Act). The CQC began to inspect independent sector health and adult social care providers under the 2008 Act from October 2010.
	
		
			 Month Locations with provision for older people1 Locations/providers with mental health rovision2 
			 October 2010 4 9 
			 November 2010 15 18 
			 December 2010 47 44 
			 January2011 97 117 
			 February 2011 155 196 
			 March 2011 310 334 
			 April 2011 324 350 
			 May 2011 488 558 
			 June 20113 181 188 
		
	
	Notes:
	1 Locations with provision for older people cover services from all sectors which have indicated they can provide services to older people (service user band data).
	2 Locations/providers with mental health provision includes those with the regulated activity 'Assessment or medical treatment for persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983' and/ or service users bands 'dementia', 'learning disabilities', 'mental health', 'people detained under the Mental Health Act'.
	3 June figure as at 13 June 2011.
	The CQC does not regulate children's social care services.

Care Services: Winterbourne View

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether concerns over the treatment of elderly persons at Winterbourne Hospital reported to the Care Quality Commission were all reported to the Local Government Ombudsman individually, were subject to investigation and responded to in writing.

Earl Howe: The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) acts independently of central and local government in the investigation of complaints. As such, Ministers and officials have no remit to comment on an investigation, including the Ombudsman's decisions about whether or not to investigate a particular case, or the factors which might be taken into account as part of this.
	Information in respect of the LGO is not held in the department. The noble Lord may wish to contact the LGO for further information.

Child Support Agency

Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Child Support Agency's proposed "calculation-only" scheme will differ from the existing calculation scheme accessible on the Child Support Agency website.

Lord Freud: At present parents can, use free online calculators to work out an estimated child maintenance figure using their own income figures. For many parents, these online tools can provide a guide to child maintenance amounts without having to involve another party.
	The indicative calculation service that we are proposing is part of the future scheme. The proposed service would go beyond what is currently on offer and, being based on the latest information from HM Revenue and Customs, provide a more accurate assessment of how much child maintenance could be expected given a non-resident parent's income. This should allow a more balanced discussion between parents as they try to establish their own maintenance arrangement. The service will be heavily subsidised by the taxpayer we believe that it is fair to charge a small fee, proposed to be around £20-£25, for this service when it is introduced.

Children: Sexual Exploitation

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each of the last three years, how many children under 16 were referred to social services or to the police, because of grooming for sexual exploitation or because of actual sexual abuse; how many investigations, prosecutions and convictions there were; and whether they will break down those figures by English region or by police authority.

Baroness Browning: Specific data concerning referrals to the social services or the police and the numbers of investigations by the police are not held centrally.
	However, data on offences is held by the Ministry of Justice and the following table give the latest available data in relation to cautions, prosecutions and convictions for child sex offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, Children Act 1989 and the Child Abduction Act 1984 in England and Wales.
	The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre is currently conducting a thematic assessment on localised grooming. The assessment will consider the extent and nature of child sexual exploitation in the UK as a whole. The report is expected to be published shortly.
	
		
			 Offenders cautioned and defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for selected offences, England & Wales, 2004-09(1)(2)(3)(4)(6) 
			   2007   2008(5)   2009   
			 Statute Description Cautioned Proceeded against Found guilty Cautioned Proceeded against Found guilty Cautioned Proceeded against Found guilty 
			 Sexual offences Act 2003   
			 Section 5 Rape of a child under 13 25 300 134 23 317 179 14 444 180 
			 Section 6 Assault of a child by penetration under 13 7 130 75 9 166 88 24 190 89 
			 Section 7 Sexual Assault of a child under 13 135 582 344 115 522 355 94 876 321 
			 Section 8 Causing or inciting child under 13 to engage in sexual activity 30 101 68 22 106 80 14 138 77 
			 Section 9 Sexual Activity with a child 299 682 592 267 720 641 255 944 678 
			 Section 10 Causing or inciting child to engage in sexual activity 49 142 86 67 179 99 64 205 108 
			 Section 11 Engaging in a sexual activity in the presence of a child 16 77 59 9 65 63 10 78 63 
			 Section 12 Causing a child to watch a sexual act 13 23 17 11 20 21 13 18 18 
			 Section 14 Arranging or Facilitating a child sexual offence 4 32 18 4 19 15 2 25 17 
			 Section 47 Paying for the sexual services of a child 1 7 3 - 3 3 2 3 5 
			 Section 48 Causing or inciting child prostitution or pornography - 2 4 - 13 7 2 12 8 
			 Section 49 Controlling a child prostitute or a child involved in pornography 1 2 1 1 - 1 - 1 1 
			 Section 50 Arranging or facilitating child prostitution or pornography - - 1 - - 2 - 6 1 
			 Child Abduction Act 1984 Section 2 Offence of abduction of child by other persons 17 99 52 10 87 48 9 116 50 
			 Children Act 1989 Section 49 Abduction of children in care and inducing, inciting or assisting a child to run away 12 25 13 15 41 26 9 44 27 
		
	
	(1) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When an offender has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence.
	From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals.
	(2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	(3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
	(4) The number of defendants found guilty in a particular year may exceed the number proceeded against as the proceedings in the magistrates' court took place in an earlier year and the defendants were found guilty at the Crown Court in the following year; or the defendants were found guilty of a different offence to that for which they were originally proceeded against.
	(5) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July and August 2008.
	(6) The Sexual Offences Act 2003 came into force on 1 May 2004.
	Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.
	Ref: 067-11

Civil Service: Redundancy

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 26 April (WA 24), how the information on voluntary redundancies offered to civil servants since May 2010 is recorded and held.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Individual departments and agencies are responsible for deciding how they record any offers of voluntary redundancy to their staff. There is no central direction on how this information should be recorded.
	Departmental resource accounts from 2010-11 onwards will include details on the number of staff who have received a compensation payment upon their departure and the value of those payments.

Counterterrorism

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government with which outside persons the Director-General of the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism (or other OSCT officials) shared either parts of the successive drafts, or the entire drafts, of the Prevent Review.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government with which government consultants the Director-General of the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism (or other OSCT officials) has shared either part of the drafts or the entire drafts of the Prevent Review.

Baroness Browning: Home Office officials, including those of the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism, routinely consult Government colleagues and, where appropriate, individuals outside Government in the process of formulating government policy. This included the independent reviewer of the Prevent programme, Lord Carlile of Berriew.

Cyclists: Accidents

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 14 June (WA 173), how many road accidents involving cyclists have been reported in each of the London Boroughs and the City of London in each of the past five years.

Earl Attlee: The number of reported personal injury road accidents involving pedal cyclists in each of the London Boroughs and the City of London for each of the past five years for which data are available is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Reported Personal Injury Accidents Involving Pedal Cyclists by London Borough: 2005-09 
			  Number of accidents 
			 London Borough 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 
			 City of London 105 123 98 122 117 
			 Barking 38 39 22 30 29 
			 Barnet 57 51 68 50 64 
			 Bexley 28 30 34 35 35 
			 Brent 74 59 56 54 71 
			 Bromley 48 37 46 68 65 
			 Camden 190 169 156 176 179 
			 Croydon 72 79 59 92 82 
			 Ealing 73 84 81 91 114 
			 Enfield 51 39 34 33 40 
			 Greenwich 55 49 66 57 73 
			 Hackney 136 141 154 194 196 
			 Hammersmith 143 122 144 131 161 
			 Haringey 60 73 48 55 100 
			 Harrow 36 37 19 25 32 
			 Havering 26 25 32 30 31 
			 Hillingdon 61 58 43 54 71 
			 Hounslow 84 70 78 92 85 
			 Heathrow airport 3 0 0 0 5 
			 Islington 166 161 161 164 237 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 156 144 155 153 178 
			 Kingston upon Thames 50 47 55 52 71 
			 Lambeth 163 201 182 212 279 
			 Lewisham 86 101 111 106 115 
			 Merton 59 51 59 64 64 
			 Newham 56 69 64 74 85 
			 Redbridge 40 31 25 33 41 
			 Richmond upon Thames 80 75 81 95 98 
			 Southwark 165 212 218 242 231 
			 Sutton 40 54 39 40 45 
			 Tower Hamlets 104 115 128 147 158 
			 Waltham Forest 63 58 69 69 97 
			 Wandsworth 154 157 175 173 209 
			 Westminster 257 275 297 286 328 
			 Greater London1 2,979 3,036 3,057 3,299 3,786 
		
	
	1 Includes figures for accidents on roads in Heathrow airport which are not counted by the London Borough of Hillingdon.

Dogs

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to deal with irresponsible dog owners.

Lord Henley: We appreciate that the issue of dangerous dogs is increasingly important to the public.
	We consider that it is not just a problem of dangerous breeds, but also one of bad owners. They need to be held to account and prevented from ruining people's lives. Defra is working closely with the Home Office on the anti-social behaviour dimension to this issue. On 7 February 2011, the Home Office published proposals to replace and streamline the measures to tackle antisocial behaviour. The new, flexible tools proposed would replace 18 formal powers currently in use, including those applicable to dogs. Under the proposals, control measures on dangerous and nuisance dogs would be effected largely by Crime Prevention Injunctions and Community Protection Orders.

Education: Truancy

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what sanctions they intend to put in place against pupils or their parents who fail to attend education or training when the age of participation is raised to 18.

Lord Hill of Oareford: When the participation age is raised, to 17 in 2013 and to 18 in 2015, the legislative duty will be on the young person to continue in education or training and not the parent. Enforcement powers for local authorities are set out in the Education and Skills Act (2008). This is a long process involving mainly administrative sanctions, and no young person could enter the enforcement system if there is a reason why they are not participating in education or training.
	We are legislating through the current Education Bill to enable the Secretary of State to delay the introduction of the enforcement process, and have committed to reviewing the need for it on an annual basis from 2014.

Energy: Fracking

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will ensure that fracking operations in the United Kingdom will pose no potential risk for the contamination of groundwater.

Lord Henley: The Government considers that the current environmental regulatory framework is sufficiently robust to deal with any risks to groundwater that may arise from fracking operations. Operators wishing to undertake fracking within England or Wales are obliged to notify the Environment Agency (EA) of this intention under Section 32 and/or Section 199 of the Water Resources Act 1991. The EA takes a risk-based approach to the regulation of fracking activities under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010 (EPR), and will assess the permitting requirements for each proposal on a site-by-site basis, considering the design of the fracking operations and its proximity to ground and surface waters.
	A permit will be required where fluids containing pollutants are injected into rock formations that contain groundwater. A permit may also be needed if the activity poses a risk of mobilising natural substances that could then cause pollution. The permit will specify limits on the activity, any requirements for monitoring, the chemicals to be used and in what maximum concentrations.
	If the activity poses an unacceptable risk to the environment the EA will not issue a permit. If the EA decides that the activity cannot affect groundwater, a permit will not be necessary. However, such activities are still subject to the EPR. If a significant risk or an actual impact becomes apparent, the EA may issue a notice under the EPR requiring the operator to obtain a permit, or in extreme situations, a notice to prohibit the activity.
	Scotland and Northern Ireland will have their own measures in place as the protection of groundwater is a devolved matter.

EU: Financial Assistance to Member States

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the United Kingdom would be required to contribute to any further European Union and International Monetary Fund bailout of the Greek economy.

Lord Sassoon: Euro area Finance Ministers are considering the existing financial assistance package for Greece, which comprises of bilateral loans from euro area member states and support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). No request for further financial assistance has been made, and it would not be appropriate to prejudge the outcome of ongoing discussions.
	The UK provides loans to the IMF as a whole, rather than to any specific IMF programme. The IMF will loan funds to a member country if the IMF Board approves a lending programme for that country.

Government Departments: Research and Data

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what research and data collection the Department for Work and Pensions has (a) initiated, (b) terminated, and (c) amended, since 12 May 2010.

Lord Freud: DWP undertakes a regular review of its research programme, including statistical surveys. The information will be placed in the Library. The response does not include data collected by the department's staff on its day-to-day management of our business.

Government Departments: Research and Data

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what research and data collection the Home Office has (a) initiated, (b) terminated, and (c) amended, since 12 May 2010.

Baroness Browning: The British Crime Survey and the Annual Data Requirement for collecting data from the police have continued in 2010-11. The content of each is reviewed and changed each year in consultation with key stakeholders and with regard to costs, need, and burden.
	The data collection for statistics on scientific procedures on animals are regularly reviewed, including data collection methods, although it remains unchanged in the last year. Responsibility for the collection of statistics on alcohol and late night refreshment licensing transferred to the Home Office from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in 2010. This collection from local authorities is not run every year and a decision not to collect the data in 2010-11 was taken within the year from May 2010.
	Other statistics, including those on migration and the operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 are largely based on management information and require no specific additional data collections. Migration statistics are continually reviewed, including through consultations with external users such as the one launched on 24 February.
	Other management information on a wide range of issues is collected by delivery bodies for their own purposes and collated by the Home Office. These collections are regularly reviewed to ensure the data remain relevant, and that submitting data does not impose a significant burden in local areas. None has been altered, added, or removed other than for operational purposes during the year from May 2010.
	Details of external social science research projects relating to crime and policing or migration which were commissioned, altered or completed from May 2010 are given in table 1.
	Details of external physical science research projects relating to crime and policing or migration which were commissioned, altered, completed or continued unchanged during the year (including those completed as planned) since 12 May 2010 are given in table 2.
	The Home Office also commissions research in support of the United Kingdom's strategy for countering international terrorism (CONTEST). The details of this research are classified on the grounds of national security, but our broad research strategy is available on the Home Office website at: http://www.homeoffice. gov.uk/publications/counter-terrorism/science-and-technology/science-and-technology-strategy?view =Binary.
	
		
			 Table 1: External social research begun, amended, terminated, or continued without change during the year beginning after 12 May 2010 
			 (i) Social Research Contracts awarded since 12 May 2010 
			 Drug Data Warehouse-contract extension 
			 Review of small projects under EC funding 
			 Satisfying labour demand through migration 
			 Impact of financial investigation on organised crime groups 
			 IOM/VCS Project 
			 MARAC review 
			 Facilitated Return Scheme 
			 Building the Voluntary and Community Sector's involvement in Integrated Offender Management approaches: a process evaluation 
			 Early Legal Advice Pilot (for asylum seekers) evaluation 
			 (ii) Social Research Contracts Terminated since 12 May 2010 
			 Evaluation of serious Organised crime task force programme 
			 (iii) Social Research Contracts amended since 12 May 2010 
			 Drug Data Warehouse-contract extension 
			 'Links between homicide and organised crime' 
			 Vulnerability and resilience to Al Qa'ida influenced violent extremism-Learning from the gang, cult, political activism and violent extremism literature 
			 Engaged Communities 
			 Al Qa'ida influenced radicalisation: Applying Situational Action Theory 
			 Reducing youth crime: assessing the set-up, delivery and impact of triage, reparation and street-based teams 
			 Study of Key interventions into terrorism using Bayesian Networks 
			 Neighbourhood Agreements 
			 Individual disengagement from violent extremist groups-A Rapid Evidence Assessment to inform policy and practice in preventing violent extremism 
			 British Crime Survey-Extension 
			 An Exploration of Staff-Prisoner Relationships at HMP Whitemoor: Twelve Years On. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Physical Sciences external research continued and completed by HOSDB (Now CAST). 
			 Data collections initiated by HOSDB (Now CAST) 12 May 2010 to June 2011. 
			 Creation of i-LIDS New Technologies data set for evaluation of video analytic systems 
			 Physical Sciences external research continued and completed by HOSDB (Now CAST) 12 May 2010 to June 2011. 
			 Continued collation of data on police TASER usage 
			 Research on body armour ("Behind Armour Blunt Trauma") project jointly with USA 
			 Student research projects in the area of fingerprint forensics 
			 Research and development for roadside and police station screening of drug drivers 
			 Literature reviews on facial comparison 
			 Research into audio processing for law enforcement 
			 Development of tool supporting covert surveillance of serious and organised criminals 
			 Development of signal processing for covert surveillance of serious and organised criminals 
			 Development of technique in support of covert surveillance of serious and organised criminals 
			 Physical sciences external research provided in support of CONTEST and referenced in other published material which has been continued or completed May 2010-May 2011 
			 Research into CCTV operator performance 
			 Innovative Research Call on Explosives and Weapons Detection 
			 Project with CCD Design and Ergonomics 
			 Project with Synergy Consultants 
			 Project with Cranfield University 
			 Project with Exchem defence systems Ltd 
			 Project with University of Leeds 
			 Project with Kings College 
			 Project with CCD Design & Ergonomics Ltd 
			 Project with Nottingham Trent University 
			 Project with REACT Engineering Ltd 
			 Project with Cobalt Light Systems Ltd 
			 Project with University College London 
			 Project with Smiths Detection - Watford 
			 Project with Thruvision Systems Ltd 
			 Project with University of Birmingham 
			 Project with SFTC - RAL Space

Government Departments: Research and Data

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what research and data collection the Cabinet Office has (a) initiated, (b) terminated, and (c) amended, since 12 May 2010.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Information on what research and data collection the Cabinet Office has initiated, terminated and amended since 12 May 2010 is not held centrally.

Government Departments: Scientific Advisers

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government who is the Departmental Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; and (a) when they were appointed and for how long, (b) what is their academic or experience background, (c) what is their civil service rank, (d) whether their post is full-time or part-time, and what other work commitments they have, and (e) on how many occasions during the past year they have had meetings with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs or the Minister to whom they have direct responsibility.

Lord Henley: Defra's Chief Scientific Adviser is Professor Robert Watson FRS.
	(a) Professor Watson was appointed on 17 September 2007 for a fixed term which runs until 16 September 2012;(b) before taking up post as Defra's Chief Scientific Adviser, he was previously at the World Bank where he was the Chief Scientist and Senior Adviser for Sustainable Development. He has also held senior positions at NASA and, more recently, at the White House, where he was responsible for ensuring that science underpinned policy making. He was recently elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society;(c) he is a Senior Civil Service Pay Band 3; (d) his post is part-time, 0.8 of a full time equivalent. He is also employed as Chair of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia and Director for Strategic Direction at the Tyndall Centre; and(e) he meets regularly and frequently with all Defra Ministers.

Government Departments: Scientific Advisers

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government who is the Departmental Chief Scientific Adviser for the Ministry of Justice; and (a) when they were appointed and for how long, (b) what is their academic or experience background, (c) what is their civil service rank, (d) whether their post is full-time or part-time, and what other work commitments they have, and (e) on how many occasions during the past year they have had meetings with the Secretary of State for Justice or the Minister to whom they have direct responsibility.

Lord McNally: Rebecca Endean is the Departmental Chief Scientific Adviser in Ministry of Justice.
	(a) she joined MoJ in October 2008 as a permanent member of the senior civil service;(b) prior to joining MoJ, Rebecca had considerable analytical and policy expertise as a policy adviser and analyst, on a wide range of social policy issues, in particular labour market, poverty and family policy. She has a BSc (Hons) in Economics and Economic History from London School of Economics, and a MA in Economics from Warwick University. She gained an OBE for her work at Department for Social Security (2000);(c) Rebecca is a Senior Civil Service PB 2; (d) Rebecca is full-time (1 FTE) and carries out the Chief Scientific Adviser role alongside her role as the Director of Analytical Services; and(e) we do not hold a record of the number of meetings that Rebecca has attended with the Secretary of State and Ministers. She is in regular contact with them in her role as Director of Analytical Services and Chief Scientific Adviser.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 23 May (WA 380), what process was used to recruit the six members of the Insight Behavioural team who came from elsewhere in the civil service and the two members who were recruited from outside the civil service.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The six members of the team from within the Civil Service were recruited from other government departments following interview or were redeployed from other parts of the Cabinet Office. The two members of the team recruited from outside the Civil Service were recruited in line with Civil Service recruitment principles, on short-term loans on the basis of the particular skills that they bring to bear.

Government Departments: TV Sets

Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have not yet been able to count the number of television sets in the Cabinet Office and produce the other connected information requested by Lord Kennedy of Southwark in Question for Written Answer HL 8962, tabled on 5 May, when the target time for answering Questions for Written Answer is 10 working days.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: I answered the question to which the noble Lord refers on 14 June 2011 (Official Report, col. WA195)

Government: Red Tape Challenge

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Red Tape Challenge relates to the undertakings on the effective and transparent design and development of policies set out in the renewed Compact for an effective partnership between Government and civil society organisations.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Red Tape Challenge and the Compact are mutually reinforcing. The Red Tape Challenge website has been designed to give everyone, including Civil Society Organisations, the opportunity to comment openly on the regulations and rules they have to deal with on a daily basis. Removing unnecessary burdens, while keeping regulation that is well-designed and effective, will help businesses and Civil Society Organisations to flourish.

Government: Staff

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the job description of Mr Jeremy Heywood; and what access he has to government papers and discussions relating to the future of Southern Cross.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: I refer the noble Lord to the Cabinet Office structure charts which have been published by the Government at http://data.gov.uk/organogram/cabinet-office. All civil servants carry out their responsibilities in accordance with the Civil Service Code and the Civil Service Management Code.

Health and Social Care Bill

Lord Reid of Cardowan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what costs they expect to incur as a result of the Health and Social Care Bill being recommitted to a Public Bill Committee in the House of Commons.

Earl Howe: The costs of transition to the new system, and the benefits of transition, were published in an impact assessment in January this year. The department will publish a revised impact assessment that takes into account the change in timetable, and any changes in policy, resulting from the recommital of the Bill. The impact assessment will be published in due course according to parliamentary protocol.
	The new timetable is designed to ensure that the transition to the new system is phased and carefully managed. This will help the National Health Service in realising the £20 billion of efficiency savings that it is required to make over the next four years.

Health: Cystic Fibrosis

Lord Winston: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely impact on Royal Brompton's paediatric cystic fibrosis unit if heart services are removed from the trust as recommended by the Safe and Sustainable review.

Earl Howe: The Safe and Sustainable review is being conducted by the NHS Specialised Commissioning Team. We have however been following its progress.
	No decision has yet been made on the location of paediatric heart surgery units. The proposed options for paediatric congenital heart services are currently being consulted on. The public consultation process enables patients and the public to have the opportunity to make their views known. This is an open process and is not predetermined. The consultation questionnaire specifically asks for views on whether two or three centres would be the optimal number for London and, if two is preferred, which of the three centres should be designated. Formal public consultation closes on 1 July 2011.
	The consultation document also makes it clear that the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts (JCPCT) will consider any evidence submitted about the potential impact for children who access other relevant clinical services (such as cystic fibrosis). In response to concerns that have been set out by the board of the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation about the potential impact to paediatric respiratory services at the Royal Brompton Hospital, the JCPCT has convened an expert clinical panel to investigate the issues and report to it in the autumn.
	We would expect the JCPCT, before taking a decision, to consider this report as well as an independent analysis of the consultation responses, reports from overview and scrutiny committees, and a health impact assessment. The JCPCT is expected to make a decision in November 2011.
	More information about the consultation can be found here: http://www.specialisedservices.nhs.uk/safe_sustainable/public-consultation-2011.

House of Lords: Recess Dates

Lord Touhig: To ask the Chairman of Committees what will be the additional cost of the House of Lords sitting in the week beginning 3 October; and what effect the change in recess dates will have on renovation and works plans for that period.

Lord Brabazon of Tara: The quantifiable additional costs to the House of Lords of the sittings on 3-6 October are estimated as follows:
	
		
			 Members' finance £496,000 
			 Works 40 per cent of £25-30,000 (the other 60 per cent will fall to the House of Commons) 
			 Catering £7,000 
			 Other administrative costs At least £3,000 
		
	
	There will be additional costs to the Parliamentary Estates Directorate and the Department of Facilities, which cannot be quantified. And there may be additional administrative costs.
	The figures set out above assume that the House will sit to 10 pm or beyond on Monday-Wednesday; that attendance, Members' finance claims and catering business will be average; that the House will not sit on Friday 7 October; that there will be no Grand Committee; and that the House of Commons will not sit.
	The 40 per cent of £25-30,000 quoted above for works is the likely cost of the impact on the mechanical and electrical programme, the purpose of which is to refit the mechanical and electrical building services within the Palace of Westminster. During the week beginning 3 October, work is planned to renovate the lift from Peers' Cloakroom to the Principal Floor, so there will be disruption to this service during that period. The fact that the House will be sitting in the week beginning 3 October also means that there will be some disruption to the programme for occupation of Millbank House. Members will be notified about this in due course.

Identity Assurance

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce an Identity Assurance Scheme; if so, whether they will publish details of its provisions and intent; and whether primary legislation would be required before implementation of such a scheme.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: A Written Statement introducing the ID Assurance programme of activity was laid in Parliament on the 18 May by the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Official Report Col. WS76). Details of the design are still in development, including whether the programme will require primary legislation. It is intended that we will publish details once the design has been agreed by the end of 2011.

Immigration

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance is provided by the UK Border Agency on deciding between deportation and non-removal of a foreign criminal in relation to any effect on family life, under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Baroness Browning: The UK Border Agency guidance for deciding Article 8 claims under the European Convention on Human Rights is published on the UK Border Agency website and can be found using the following link: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/asylumpolicyinstructions/apis/article8echr.
	Guidance is available on Article 8 to caseworkers considering deportation and this is due to be published shortly.

Immigration

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how, in their impact assessment on reform of the points-based student immigration system, they calculated the loss to the economy in reduced output as a result of non-European Union students and postgraduates and their dependants not working in the United Kingdom; how much that loss will consist of annually over the next four years; and whether any account was taken of the need to provide housing for such students.

Baroness Browning: The methodology for calculating the estimated impact of the student policies on output is set out in Annex 7 of the published Impact Assessment. The loss to the economy from reduced output was estimated, for those in the post study work route, on the basis of their employment rate and average wage in employment of £15,000, derived from the Labour Force Survey. For students and their dependants, in the absence of suitable similar data, the output effect was captured by a proxy measure derived from their average expenditure. The breakdown of the annual costs and benefits each year, including the output effects, is set out on page 24 of the Impact Assessment. The need to provide housing for students was considered but we were unable to estimate the precise impact this might have, for example on rents or capacity.

Immigration: Detainees

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish their response to the recent report from Bail for Immigration Detainees, entitled Last Resort or First Resort.

Baroness Browning: We have noted the concerns published in the report and officials worked closely with Bail for Immigration Detainees amongst others during the child detention review and took their views and evidence into account in designing the new family returns process. We are not responding formally to the report.

Immigration: Detention of Children

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the proposed Open Accommodation Pilot in Croydon Asylum Centre will operate; and what safeguards for children there will be.

Baroness Browning: Open accommodation in Croydon is one part of the new family returns process introduced nationally on 1 March 2011. Guidance on how open accommodation operates and the new family returns process is in Chapter 45 of the Enforcement Instructions and Guidance and can be found on the UK Border Agency website at: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/policyandlaw/guidance/enforcement. Open accommodation will only be used following the advice of the independent Family Returns Panel. Families will only be placed in open accommodation with their agreement.
	Child safeguarding issues will be central to any advice given by the Family Returns Panel to refer a family to open accommodation. Similarly, any child safeguarding issues that arise while a family is in open accommodation will be referred to the panel for further consideration.

Immigration: Tinsley House

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they propose to assess public protection risks for persons to be held at Tinsley House prior to removal.

Baroness Browning: The arrangements for detainee risk assessments are in place and are set out in Detention Service Order 01/2003. These arrangements apply irrespective of the immigration removal centre in which the person is to be accommodated. The Detention Service Order can be found at: http://ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/detention-services-orders/.

Iran

Lord Janner of Braunstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the current situation regarding human rights in Iran.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's 2010 Human Rights and Democracy Report includes our assessment of the human rights situation in Iran. It is accessible to the public on our website and includes updates every three months to highlight key human rights events and actions that take place in each of the featured countries of concern of which Iran is one.
	The UK remains extremely concerned by the human rights situation in Iran: there have been over 250 executions in 2011; more journalists are in prison than in any other country in the world; two opposition leaders have been held incommunicado since February without justification; the state continues to persecute religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities; and the regime has brutally suppressed peaceful protests, such as those on 12 June to mark the second anniversary of the disputed 2009 Presidential Elections. These actions are contrary to Iran's international obligations and its constitution. We frequently call on Iran to respect human rights and will continue to highlight abuses internationally including at the UN. We support the recent appointment of Dr Ahmed Shaheed as UN Special Rapporteur on Iran and encourage Iran to co-operate with him to improve the situation.

Israel and Palestine

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the construction of fabric-of-life tunnels in the Palestinian Territories; and what contribution the Department for International Development has made towards these.

Baroness Verma: The Department for International Development (DfID) has not contributed to the building of Israel's so called fabric-of-life road network and tunnels in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The building of settlements and actions to restrict Palestinian movement and access in the West Bank by Israel, including establishing a secondary road system to separate Palestinian and Israeli traffic, represents an attempt to create facts on the ground which makes a two-state solution, with Jerusalem as a shared capital, harder to achieve. We are seriously concerned about continuing restrictions on freedom of movement in the OPTs and their impact on Palestinian economic development and quality of life. These concerns can only be addressed properly by removing settlements and their infrastructure, which are illegal under international law, re-routing the barrier to within the Green Line and removing check points. We continue to make this clear to the Israeli Government.

Israel and Palestine

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Jerusalem Day celebrations staged by Israelis in Occupied East Jerusalem on 1 June, and the ability of Palestinians to carry out Nakba demonstrations in the Occupied Territories on 5 June.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Jerusalem Day passed relatively peacefully due to a significant police presence, although the march through a Palestinian neighbourhood increased tensions in the city.
	The Foreign Secretary issued a statement on 15 May, Israeli Independence Day, also know in the Arab world as Nakba Day, regarding concerns at the violence on Israel's borders and sadness at the loss of life. He called on all parties to exercise restraint and ensure that civilian life is protected.
	These events underline the urgent need for a lasting and comprehensive resolution to the conflict.

Justice: Legal Fees

Lord Carlile of Berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government what restrictions there are on the payment by counsel of a proportion or agreed portion of their fees to their instructing solicitors in publicly funded criminal cases, as a consideration for receiving the brief.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what restrictions there are on the payment by counsel of a proportion or agreed portion of their fees to their instructing solicitors in publicly funded civil cases, as a consideration for receiving the brief.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what restrictions there are on the payment by counsel of a proportion or agreed portion of their fees to their instructing solicitors in publicly funded family law cases, as a consideration for receiving the brief.

Lord McNally: The Legal Services Commission contracts directly with solicitors who may instruct counsel where it appears necessary for the proper conduct of proceedings. Both Section 22(2) of the Access to Justice Act 1999 and Clause 6.9 of the Standard Terms of the 2010 Standard Civil and Crime Contracts prevent the instructing solicitor in publically funded cases from receiving referral fees.

Legal Aid

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact on access to justice of the combined effect of the reduction in legal aid and the reduction in funding for the Equality and Human Rights Commission's case work.

Lord McNally: The Government published a full impact assessment alongside our response on legal aid reform, which confirmed that civil legal aid would be retained for all unlawful discrimination cases currently within the scope of the scheme.
	We published an impact assessment alongside our consultation on EHRC reform, which closed on 15 June.
	We will publish a response to that consultation this autumn, along with an updated impact assessment.

Libya

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 17 May (WA 296) confirming that the "UK acts in accordance with international law", whether they will define their policy towards attempts to kill President Gaddafi of Libya.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Our military action in Libya is not about regime change. It is to protect civilians and civilian protected areas under threat of attack in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, and as action by the coalition in pursuance of that resolution. However, as the Libya Contact Group said in Doha, and reaffirmed in Abu Dhabi on 9 June, Qadhafi's continued presence in Libya threatens any resolution of the current crisis. Qadhafi agreeing to leave power remains essential for peace and stability in Libya.

National Probation Service: Facilities Management

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are plans to review the facilities management contract in respect of probation property in England and Wales.

Lord McNally: Facilities management (FM) contracts for probation property are kept under continuous operational review. The current contracts were placed in 2008 and will run until 2013.
	It is expected that plans for future FM contracts will be decided in the next 12 months.

NHS: Patient Choice

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the National Health Service will in the future provide patient choice, both of provider and of treatment options, for those seeking gender reassignment.

Earl Howe: In our Mental Health Strategy, No Health Without Mental Health, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, we made clear not only our commitment to better mental health, mental well-being and better services but also to these services being better for all, regardless of age, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, disability, marital or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or gender reassignment status.
	The White Paper, Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS, envisages that choice of treatment and choice of any qualified provider will become the reality for patients in the vast majority of National Health Service funded services by no later than 2013-14. The consultation closed on 14 January 2011. The original plan was to publish a response and some guidance on various elements of the choice consultation this spring; however, this has been deferred so that account can be taken of the recent listening exercise-one of the areas the NHS Future Forum has looked at is about how we can ensure that patient choice and competition are taken forward in patients' and taxpayers' interests. We have accepted the forum's findings on the issue of choice and this will be reflected in the guidance that we will issue.
	With the expansion of choice, healthcare professionals will receive support, advice and education about how best to support people to make choices. These measures should ensure that healthcare professionals do not exclude people on the grounds of gender identity and gender reassignment from being offered choice, or to exercise choice.

NHS: Staff

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what grounds an NHS employee was recently dismissed after discussing abortion with a colleague; under what NHS rule this is forbidden; and what regard was had to the conscience clause in the Abortion Act 1967.

Earl Howe: NHS trusts, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities are independent employers in their own right and are responsible for employment decisions about their staff. Dismissal is a matter for the employing trust, acting in accordance with general employment law.

Northern Ireland Office: Education

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with members of the Northern Ireland administration about the importance of meeting the demand for full, integrated education.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: None. These are transferred matters which are the responsibility for the Northern Ireland Minister of Education.

Northern Ireland Office: Opinion Polls

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the Northern Ireland Office spent on public opinion polls in each of the past 10 years; who carried out such polls; and how they were procured.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Comparable figures for the department as it is now configured following the completion of devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010 are not available.
	Since 12 April 2010, the Northern Ireland Office has not spent any money on opinion polls.

Offenders: Work

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether probation trusts in England and Wales are currently subject to a three-year contract to supply unpaid work for the courts in England and Wales.

Lord McNally: Probation trusts have entered into contracts with the Secretary of State to deliver a range of offender services, including unpaid work. The contracts run to 31 March 2013.

Overseas Aid

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the budget for the Department for International Development's new Nepal programme has been allocated to realising the United Nations millennium development goal to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.

Baroness Verma: All of the Department for International Development's programmes in Nepal (£331 million over the next four years) will contribute to the millennium development goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, lifting at least 860,000 people out of poverty.
	This will include continuing our proven interventions in job creation, agriculture, tourism, economic reform, and community development, investing £171 million over the next four years.
	We will also be continuing work in education, health and water and sanitation (£79 million over the next four years). An educated, healthy workforce will be more productive and having far greater potential to lift itself out of poverty than one where opportunities are limited by illness and illiteracy.

Philanthropy

Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking or intend to take to encourage large scale philanthropic giving.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The recently published giving White Paper included a range of initiatives to make giving easier and more compelling.
	Amongst these were measures to encourage philanthropic giving. These include a number of fiscal incentives such as a reduction in the rate of inheritance tax; establishing a new honours committee to recognise those who demonstrate sustained philanthropic commitment; Government investment in the Philanthropy UK service that will offer advice to current and would-be philanthropists; and working with New Philanthropy Capital to improve high-quality philanthropic advice to clients of private banks, for example.

Plastic Bags

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 14 June (WA 182) concerning plastic bags, whether they will ensure that there is wide consultation in the United Kingdom, including debates in Parliament, before any decisions regarding any European Union-wide ban on plastic bags are made.

Lord Henley: The European Commission is currently consulting on a number of options for the reduction of plastic bags, including a ban. There are no definite proposals at this stage, but any formal proposal will be subject to appropriate consultation at a national level.

Plastic Bags

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are aware of research by the Environment Agency showing that plastic bags are less harmful to the environment than paper or cotton bags; and, if so, whether they will arrange for the publication of the details.

Lord Henley: The Environment Agency has received a legal query regarding the life cycle assessment of carrier bags, which it published in March, and has removed the report temporarily while it investigates. It will provide further information as soon as the investigation is concluded.

Population

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to limit population growth in the United Kingdom; how; and to what overall level.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: There are many factors influencing population levels in the UK generally, and in individual areas, that the Government have no power to control, e.g. birth and death rates, personal inclination. The variation in population in different areas of the United Kingdom means that no single policy on population growth or decline would be appropriate, though housing, access to training and employment opportunities, and infrastructure all have an impact on decisions people make on where to settle-including on whether to settle in the UK or overseas.

Prisoners: Self-harm

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any disciplinary action has been initiated concerning the incident of self-harm in the Close Supervision Centre at HMP Woodhill on 17 April which resulted in a prisoner being admitted to hospital.

Lord McNally: The incident of self harm leading to an admission to hospital occurred at HMP Woodhill on 18 April. The Governor has commissioned an investigation into the incident, which is due to report by the end of the month. In the light of that report the Governor will decide whether any disciplinary action is justified.

Prisons: Prison Standing Orders

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government how staff in privately run prisons can access Prison Standing Orders, in particular those which are available only on the Prison Service intranet.

Lord McNally: Prison Service Orders and Instructions have replaced Prison Standing Orders. The majority of Orders and Instructions are available via the Ministry of Justice website which is in the public domain. For Orders and Instructions that are not published on the website there are locally agreed mechanisms to ensure that the contracted prisons staff can either access the NOMS intranet or are provided copies of the Orders and Instructions by the on-site NOMS Controllers' Teams.

Public Sector: Credit Cards

Lord Burnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government which departments, local authorities and other public bodies, including the National Health Service, have issued individuals with credit cards; how many credit cards have been issued by each of those departments, and to whom; who has had the responsibility of auditing all the expenditure incurred by such credit cards; and where these data can be inspected by the public.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: This information is not held centrally, but by individual public bodies.
	Purchase and payment cards are subject to individual organisations' policies on usage and are subject to Internal Audit by those public bodies, with any misuse managed appropriately in accordance with their policies.
	The Government are currently investigating ways to improve consistency in card policy, usage, control and reporting of spend across departments.

Railways: Burscough Curves

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the re-opening of the Burscough Curves, which link Preston with Burscough and Southport.

Earl Attlee: It is for Lancashire County Council and Merseytravel rather than the Department for Transport to determine whether this scheme is the best way to meet local transport needs. To date neither have indicated to the Department for Transport that this scheme is a priority for them.

Railways: Value for Money

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total cost of Sir Roy McNulty's Rail Value for Money study; and what proportion of this cost was externally sourced consultancy.

Earl Attlee: The total forecast cost of the independent report into Rail Value for Money to 27 May 2011 was £3,240,832. Of this figure, £2,063,094 (64 per cent) was for work commissioned from external consultancies.

Shipbuilding

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what shipbuilding activity took place on Merseyside in 2009, 2010 and 2011 to date.

Baroness Wilcox: Official Statistics are not published at this level of geographic and industrial detail. However examination of Companies House records show that large shipbuilding and ship repair business continue to operate in this area.

Syria

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to carry out their duties in Syria; and what discussions they have had with the Government of Syria regarding this.

Baroness Verma: We are maintaining close contact with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) on the implications of events in Syria for their operations. The latest reports from UNRWA are that services for Palestinian refugees remain in place across Syria. However, delivery has been affected by restricted access to some UNRWA centres. due to military checkpoints and the presence of security forces, and disruption to communications, including internet services. All medical clinics remain open, but schools are closed as the school year has now ended.
	The UK remains deeply concerned by the situation in Syria and calls on the Syrian Government to allow immediate and unconditional access for humanitarian agencies. We will continue to work with our international partners, including in the UN, to condemn the repression in Syria and call for the Syrian Government to meet their people's legitimate demands. The violence is unacceptable and must stop.

Syria

Lord Janner of Braunstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what further action they will take against the Government of Syria following their suppression of protesters.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government have led the way in introducing a European Union travel ban and assets freeze on 23 individuals, including President Assad, responsible for the violence and repression in Syria. We are exploring with our European partners the potential for further sanctions if the violence continues.
	We are also pushing for a UN Security Council Resolution. We have circulated a draft condemning the repression in Syria and calling for the Syrian Government to meet their people's legitimate demands, release all prisoners of conscience, lift restrictions on the media and Internet and co-operate with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. A Resolution is not, however, in our gift alone, and needs the support of nine UN Security Council members and no vetoes. We are working to persuade other countries that the Security Council has a responsibility to speak out and to condemn the repression in Syria and call for the Syrian Government to meet their people's legitimate demands.

Unemployment

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the current youth unemployment figures for (a) males, and (b) females; and what are the figures for the same period in 2010.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for Office for National Statistics, to Lord Fearn, dated June 2011.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for the current youth unemployment figures for (a) males, and (b) females; and what are the figures for the same period in 2010. HL10024
	The table provides unemployment levels and rates for the February-April three-month period in 2011 and 2010. The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and are seasonally adjusted. The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed people divided by the number of economically active people. "Economically active" comprises all those who are either employed or unemployed.
	The figures are published in the monthly Labour Market Statistical Bulletin which is available on the National Statistics website.
	
		
			 Unemployment levels and rates for 16 to 24 year-olds, United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted 
			 Unemployment level (thousands) 
			  Male Female Total 
			 February-April 2010 559 371 930 
			 February-April 2011 530 364 895 
			 Unemployment rate (per cent) 
			  Male Female Total 
			 February-April 2010 22.5 16.7 19.8 
			 February-April 2011 21.4 16.9 19.3 
		
	
	Source: Labour Force Survey
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Indications of the sampling variability of LFS aggregate estimates are provided in the Statistical Bulletin.
	Background Note
	Lord Fearn has asked for the current youth unemployment figures for (a) males, and (b) females; and what are the figures for the same period in 2010. HL10024
	1. The estimates are for February-April, 2010 and 2011 published in Table 14 of the monthly Labour Market Statistical Bulletin on 15 June 2011.
	Ole Black
	Household and Labour Market Division
	01633 456348
	Samia Yasir
	Labour Market Assessment
	Household and Labour Market Division
	01633 455293

Visas

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether allowances to cover business expenses are included when considering appropriate salaries for tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) migrant worker visas; and whether accommodation allowances are regarded as business expenses if the allowance is provided so that the employee can perform work at a client's or customer's place of business.

Baroness Browning: We do take account of allowances where they cover factors such as the additional cost of living in the UK and allow us to compare what is paid to a migrant with what would be paid to a resident worker doing the same job. We do not include business expenses, such as flights to and from the sending company, as acceptable allowances.
	Accommodation allowances are defined in both the tier 2 and 5 Sponsor Guidance, and the tier 2 Policy Guidance.